Sophie Cunningham took the wrong inspiration from Caitlin Clark. Last year, it was Clark who completely shanked one of her shots and almost hit one of the fans. This year, it was Sophie Cunningham, but the difference is that she did not miss. Cunningham was given a one-time shot at hole 10. She hit it with all her might, and it landed in the crowd. A fan fell as a result, and she immediately went and consoled him. Fortunately, he was fine, and the competition carried on with Cunningham on the sidelines. However, the Fever star was at the heart of drama even away from the action. 

Hundreds of fans arrived at the Pro-Am to watch Caitlin Clark tee off. The majority of them were Indiana Fever fans. So by extension, they were Cunningham and Hull’s fans as well. While Caitlin Clark is a lock for the Fever next season, the same is not true for the other two. Hull is a restricted free agent this offseason, while Sophie Cunningham is an unrestricted one. Both can potentially leave the team. 

In light of this, a fan pleaded for the two to stay at the Fever even in 2026. However, Cunningham called for the league to first pay them. “A Fever fan shouted at Cunningham and Hull that they both need to re-sign. Cunningham: “Tell them to pay us,” she said, referencing the WNBA and their ongoing CBA negotiations,” reported Scott Agness of The Field House Files.  Cunningham has been a major advocate for the players in the ongoing CBA negotiations. 

She has been calling out the WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the league while supporting WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier after her explosive interview. That remains unresolved for now, but there is doubt in the air regarding Cunningham’s return to the Fever. Her future with the team depends on the level of increase the CBA brings. Last season, she earned $100,000 for a season and is due for a healthy pay raise. While maintaining love for the Fever, Cunningham has already admitted to listening to other offers. 

She has also expressed a long contract being one of her wants. That could be a pressing issue as Aliyah Boston and Clark are due for an extension in 2026 and 2027, respectively. The team will prioritize its cap space for the young stars. Based on all these parameters, if the Indiana Fever can afford it over the long term, they will offer her a contract. 

It depends on the salary standard the CBA sets. “You also have to do the cost-benefit analysis of what’s the length of the contract, what’s the value of the contract that you’re willing to give her relative to what the rest of the market looks like, and who else could be available,” Robin Lundberg said.

Probably the higher it sets, the less likely Cunningham’s return to the Fever is.  Some feel her off-court value and stardom outweigh her on-court value, something the Fever doesn’t need. Cunningham averaged 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in 2025 while shooting a career best 43.2% from the three-point line. However, her multiple brand deals, including her own podcast, scream a better brand value. Further evidence for that popularity was a scary incident at the Annika Pro-Am, where a man showed up claiming he was Cunningham’s boyfriend. 

Sophie Cunningham’s Fake Boyfriend Comes Calling At Annika Pro Am

As Cunningham moved around the course with Clark and the rest of the group, she was met with a strange call from the crowd. ‘Soph!’ a man shouted from the crowd multiple times, according to the Daily Mail. Cunningham glanced behind but continued her caddie duties. After being confronted by the law enforcement, the 70-year-old claimed to be Cunningham’s boyfriend. 

The officer explained that it’s very ‘unlikely’, but the man opened up his phone and showed messages from a social media account that pretended to be Cunningham. However, “the cop then broke it to him that he was likely being scammed. At his protests and evident confusion, she asked if he had sent the account money, to which he admitted that he had given his ‘girlfriend’ almost $2,000 in gift cards.”

It was another example of a celebrity’s personal security potentially being threatened. Fortunately, Cunningham was safe in this instance. Earlier this year, Caitlin Clark’s stalker was arrested and sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison. The 55-year-old had told police that he was in “an imaginary relationship” with Clark. Beyond the Indiana Fever, Paige Bueckers’ stalker was arrested in December 2024. The 40-year-old man received a one-year suspended sentence and three years’ probation.